Report: Cowboys use franchise tag on WR Dez Bryant

The Dallas Cowboys have reportedly used their franchise tag on wide receiver Dez Bryant.

The Dallas Cowboys have used their franchise tag on wide receiver Dez Bryant, the team announced Monday. 

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport first reported the news. The move was an expected one, as the team reportedly told Bryant's agent on Saturday that it would use the tag. 

Bryant caught 88 receptions for 1,320 yards and a league-high 16 touchdowns​ last season, earning his second Pro Bowl trip and a first-team All-Pro selection for the first time in his five-year career.

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The 26-year-old said in January that he plans on being with the Cowboys for the rest of his career, and he had reportedly "all but resigned himself" to accepting the franchise tag this offseason. 

Bryant's impending free agency had been complicated by reports of a "controversial video" possibly showing Bryant involved in a 2011 incident in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart. Rapoport published a police report from the incident last week saying the Cowboys have reportedly been aware of it and that the incident has led the team to have fears about signing Bryant to a long-term deal.

Police said they are not in possession of a video showing a 2011 incident in a Wal-Mart parking lot involving Bryant, and the police report said Bryant was questioned after an "unknown disturbance," but that authorities did not issue any arrests or citations.

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Bryant has played five seasons with the Cowboys since being selected by Dallas in the first round of the 2010 draft.

- Molly Geary